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Sunday, March 8, 2015

Meat and cheese. Besides wine, what more does a person
really need? Maybe a guide to finding the best of it in Austin? I have rounded
up my favorites here. Some of them include boards, some are DIY plates you can
put together yourself. In this year's installment of the Austin Food
Blogger Alliance's annual guide to eating in Austin, I present to
you:

The 2015 guide to the best Charcuterie and Cheese in Austin

House Charcuterie Block with Old World Preparation of
"appropriate" condiments.

I think my favorite part of this plate is the plate itself. The condiments and
bread vessels are nestled into their own little wood block cubby-holes, letting
the main event take stage. My favorite here was the chicken liver mousse. And
the wine. Always the wine.

525 N Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX 78703Open daily, 7am-10pm

This is my home. I have been accused of loitering, employment and suspicious activity at this place. Why they haven't started charging me rent, I dunno.

My approach to charcuterie and cheese chow at WF is totally DIY. Let me walk you through it. I go up to the cheese counter and talk to my friend Graham. He's one of the resident cheesemongers, and always remembers me by name. I tell him what I'm in the mood for: Stinky and soft, new and exciting, raw and goatey, aged, spicy, something that pairs well with XYZ... whatever mood I'm in, he can hook it up.

Then, I go to the deli counter and get my
accompanying charcuterie. You can ask for however much you want, and curate it
with the cheese and wine you are enjoying. It usually costs me under $5 for
this part.

Then I run down the gluten-free aisle for a box of crackers. Then off to the
bar. I order a glass of wine to pair with my meat and cheese loot, at which
point the bartender (usually Nathan) will bring me a plate and a knife. I
carefully peel the stickers off the cheese and meat labels and stick them to my
cracker box, so I can pay for it all later.

Calabrese Salami

This place makes me feel like I live in a fairy tale. Any
time I want to get away and feel fancy and mysterious, I go here. They offer
meat and cheese plates, but as you know, I wanted to direct it. The meat and
cheese plates come with two meats and one cheese, and if you want to substitute
the daily selection, they alter the price by the pound.

Off topic, but you should also know that they have amazing salads for lunch
here. The duck confit with beets and goat cheese is to die for.

Happy hour: Daily, 3-6pm

At Josephine House, I found my new favorite cheese. And it's
from North Carolina! Nothing surprises me, but the Hunkadora on the
build-your-own cheese and charcuterie board on the most delightful porch in
Clarksville did it.

Everything on the board was unique and stimulating to my tastebuds, especially
the duck rillete, which was flavorfully synonymous to chicken salad, kicked up
to true food-snot stature.

A visit to S & T makes me feel like I'm part of a boy's club. Beer and
live-butchery-- this is not for the faint of heart or vegetarian persuasion.
You eat your charcuterie while watching them cut fresh bacon on their deli
slicer behind the bar.

My "regular" order, when I'm not dining there is a
pound of pig skin for a dollar and a wild card from the butcher case (last time
it was lamb neck).

They make EVERYthing in house at Salt and Time. They are butchers, chefs and
experts when it comes to charcuterie. I like to get one of their boards and a
beer and hang out alone at the bar. And its not weird. Great place to dine
alone. (I am currently writing this alone at their bar. True story.)

Salt and Time Charcuterie:

Their salumi board is $12 and includes a selection of house
made meats. You can add a cheese of the day for $5. If you want to select your
own meats from the case, you can and they will charge you by weight. The day I
went they had this amazing sweet and spicy ham called Jambon du Tejas. Loved
it.

I won a free t-shirt from their instagram contest once, so I
decided I needed to go back and commit to their cheese board. A girl needs to
do thorough research on these things! Wine belly is a luxurious little hideout
on busy Oltorf in South Austin. It's a great place to meet for after-work happy
hour.

Winebelly has fabulous wine. Duh. But when you really care about how much your
wine pairs with the snacks, this is the place to go.

Winebelly Charcuterie:

Lomo

Biased-cut sausage

Salami

Chicken Liver Mousse with pickled shallots -- one of my
favorites in the city

1224 S. Congress Austin TX 78704
Happy Hour: Daily, 4-7pm

The chicken liver mousse is (how do you frankenmerge the
words fucking and amazing?) It is the clear winner for my favorite in the city.
Its whipped and sweet, smooth and full of fresh flavor, then topped off with a
thin layer of high-quality olive oil. It's awesome.

You can go gluten free with this board. They'll serve it to you with bias-cut
zucchini, pickled onions and grain mustard.

This brand new culinary mecca just opened on Congress just
before SXSW. They offer pre fixe dinners with three, five or seven courses,
with wine pairings.

In the bar area, they offer charcuterie, cheese and drinks
only. With charcuterie as the only offering in the front of the house, you know
they are going to do it right. They are proud to say that all of their
charcuterie is made in house. It shows. This stuff is incredibly fresh.

601 W. 6th St. Austin TX 78701Happy Hour: Weekdays, 5-6:30pm

This is where my money goes. And my willpower, because their bread and butter
is irresistible.

My favorite cheese at Arro:

Raclette -- It is broiled in a cast iron skillet and served warm.

Pairing -- I love trying their wine of the month. Their sommelier is
award-winning and always helpful in making suggestions. Also, check out their
1st Monday series of wine tastings and special prices on snacks from their
kitchen.

French bistro Epicerie is on the mark with the fabulous
trend of market dining. Part restaruant, part cheese market, this place will
curate a board for you, or you can make your own selections from the case. Of
course, I opted to do it myself.